Governor Nyesom Wike and Transport
Minister Rotimi Amaechi were caught in
accusations and counter accusations
Saturday night as their convoys ran into each other in Port Harcourt, leading
to a fracas. Spokesman of Amaechi, who was governor between 2007 and 2015, and
that of Wike traded claims of assassination attempt, but the clear victims were
the policemen attached to Amaechi. Scene of the attacks between Amaechi and
Wike on Saturday at Wanja junction on the Trans-Amadi road in Port Harcourt Sgt
Eteng, who was beaten streamed blood on his face, while the AK-47 rifle of Sgt.
Princewill Ubaji was taken away by
the Rivers governor’s convoy. Amaechi claimed his car was damaged in the
encounter. Simon Nwakaudu, spokesman of Governor Wike said his boss escaped
assassination from Amaechi’s armed men, the same claim made by the APC
spokesman in the state, who also said that an outrider of Wike’s convoy threatened
Amaechi with a gun. “Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, on Saturday
escaped assassination, as Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives and soldiers of
the Nigerian Army in the motorcade of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi
Chibuike Amaechi, attacked his convoy, said Simon Nwakaudu. “The governor, who
was on project inspection, was attacked at Nwanja Junction on Trans-Amadi Road.
The SARs personnel and soldiers in
the minister’s convoy hit down the governor’s escort rider and attacked the
policemen in the pilot car. Mr Debewari, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the minister of
transportation, supervised the attack, which included damage of cameras held by
journalists. “Also part of the attack was the Commander of F-SARS in Rivers
State, Mr. Akin Fakorede (a Chief Superintendent of Police), who received the
minister of transportation at the Port Harcourt International Airport and
accompanied him on his trip.”
Amaechi’s media office gave a
different narrative of the incident, that brought back memories of convoy
clashes between Amaechi as governor and Wike, when he was a minister of state
for education and had the support of Federal Police. Amaechi’s media office
said the latest clash of convoys occurred on Trans-Amadi Road, Nwaja axis and
involved cars of many of Amaechi’s supporters. It said the Minister’s black
jeep was intercepted and blocked at the junction by the security motorcycle
outrider attached to Wike after two cars had passed through. According to the
statement “One of the two cars had security men assigned to protect the
minister in Port Harcourt. Suddenly, gun-toting security men attached to Wike’s
convoy surrounded the Minister’s car, threatening to shoot him.
They hit the car, tried to smash the
windscreens, back and side windows and broke a side mirror. All through this
attack, Amaechi remained calm, inside the fortified Jeep. While the attack
occurred, Wike remained inside his vehicle.” It added that the minister
eventually passed through after the intervention of the security team on ground
to protect him in Port Harcourt. “However, when Governor Wike got to the point
where the incident occurred after Amaechi’s vehicle had gone by, his security
men blocked the road again, dragged out from a vehicle and thoroughly beat up a
police man attached to protect Amaechi in Port Harcourt. The Policeman’s rifle
was also taken from him.”
The Amaechi media office added that
Wike came out of his car, and with his security team went from one vehicle to
another of Amaechi’s supporters charging at them, harassing and abusing them.
It alleged that Wike’s security men were heard loudly insulting Amaechi and
calling him derogative names. In an earlier statement, the Rivers APC was
emphatic that Wike’s outrider wanted to kill Amaechi, but for the fact that
Amaechi was inside a bullet proof car.
“A report made available to us by an
associate to Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who happened to be in the same
car with the Minister indicates that Governor Wike’s outrider pulled a pistol
to assassinate Rotimi Amaechi but missed his target after which Amaechi’s ADC,
Debiwari intervened to save the Minister from further assassination attempt”,
the APC claimed in a statement by Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.
Tonye Princewill was further quoted
to have said: “I am at a loss if this was not an assassination attempt on the
Minister, somebody should explain to me in a clearer sentence why did the
Wike’s despatch rider(outrider) failed to stop the two security vehicles of the
Minister which had already crossed but decided for whatever reasons to block
the vehicle in which the Minister was driving? “Why was Amaechi who was behind
the steering to navigate his vehicle out of danger accosted by two security men
from the Governor’s convoy who had pulled out their pistol and gun to shoot him.
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